Sweet Blog O'Mine

Category: Life

  • Contradictions

    Barley 
    Normally I am not a little dog person, but I totally fell in love with Barley, my friends Rachel & Najib's dog this weekend. I think he fell in love with me a little too.  Just sayin'.  I really couldn't have asked for a better weekend — catching up with Lauren, Caroline & Tara at Highlands and Daddy-o, a run before First Saturday brunch with killer conversations, bacon, homemade granola, and some of the most amazing friends I have, dinner and drinks at the Counting Room (thanks, Vince & Maks!) with @jakehparrott and @jasonmader, late-night bloody mary prep, giving high fives to the marathon runners in Brooklyn, with cameo appearances from Doug, Leora & Galit, hanging on the stoop drinking aforementioned bloodys, Hall & Oates, plenty of laughter, afternoon laziness, a bit of work, and a good night's sleep.  

    PS — if I ever start a band it's going to be called "A Jew Like Me."  Think it'll catch on?

  • Pacific Time

    I returned to NYC from LA on Thursday night but still feel somewhat like I'm running on Pacific time — I slept until 11 both days this weekend (which doesn't happen that often).  It could be that I'm just recovering from the trip generally, as it was jam-packed.

    I drove straight from the airport to visit my cousin and his family in Culver City, and spent a chunk of the day catching up with them and meeting their baby Kai for the first time (he's adorable, for the record).  We had a snack at Ugo Cafe, then I drove to my hotel in West Hollywood, the Farmer's Daughter (which I loved, BTW.  Thanks, Sarah!), quickly showered and changed, then @ThirstyinLA picked me up to head to Jonathan Gold's Cocktail Speakeasy fundraiser for Zocalo at Union Station. At the event, I was able to taste food from a wide variety of restaurants and bars — an efficient culinary tour of LA!  We went for a nightcap at Varnish, but I was fading fast, thanks to the jetlag.

    Sunday I slept late, then headed to Venice for a day with my friend Arielle.  We probably walked more that day than most Los Angelinos walk in a week — after lunch at the Venice Beach Wines, we wandered over to the beach to admire the skaters, take in the activity on the boardwalk, and relax in the sand.  We walked back to her house via the Venice Canals, then rested up at her lovely, bright apartment watching Garden State before a sushi dinner at Kiriko.

    Monday I visited the Original Farmer's Market and started the day with a donut and coffee from Bob's and a walk through the market and the Grove.  After a bit of work in the courtyard of my hotel, Marco picked me up for a delicious lunch at Pizzeria Mozza.  Highlights included the bruschette with white beans alla Toscana with extra virgin olive oil & saba, the pizza with squash blossoms, tomato & burrata, and of course, Marco's wonderful company.  I spent my afternoon hiking of some of my lunch with a hike up and around Runyon Canyon, where I caught my first view of the Hollywood sign, but no celebs walking their dogs (which I was told I might see).  After returning home for a bit more work, I met Zac for dinner at BLD, where we took advantage of Dine LA week.  Speaking of dogs, Zac's story of his recent dog adoption definitely helped to convince me that I want a dog too.  Soonish.

    Tuesday I got up early to catch up with Chris over breakfast; I was happy that we were able to catch up and that he was able to squeeze me in before heading off to shoot for Law & Order LA (ah, actors!).  Then back to my hotel for some work before meeting yet another Chris (hee) for lunch at Umami Burger, my first of two meaty meals for the day (hatch burger!).  He and my friend Jimmy had both suggested visiting Griffith Observatory, so I took a detour there after lunch to wander around a bit before heading downtown to my new hotel.  Once downtown, I went to visit Allan at Caña, where Jono joined me for a quick drink.  Afterwards, I picked up some work friends and headed to Animal for an amazing dinner, heavy on the pig parts (although the fried rabbit legs might have been my favorite).

    Wednesday was a work day, beginning at 7:30 a.m. (eek!) with a meeting, followed by the APBCo Academy.  I've got to admit, I'm very lucky to have not only a job that I like that makes a difference in the world, but I've got an amazing pack of colleagues across the country, and it's always inspiring and fun to see them.  Plus, we had lunch from the Border Grill Truck — yum!  After a long but productive day, I took a nap before heading to Rivera to meet @LushAngeles for some excellent pre-dinner cocktails (V.E.P. Chartreuse Swizzle, anyone?).  The last stop of the night was Drago Centro for dinner with @tallnoe.

    I headed back to NYC Thursday morning and had a relaxing recovery weekend from my jam-packed trip.  Thank you, L.A., for a fun-filled first visit.  I'm not moving out there anytime soon, but I had a great time, and, as your Governor says, I'll be back.  Thanks to all who were a part of it — it was wonderful to see you and I'm sorry it took me so long to get out there!  Pictures from the trip are here.

  • Weekend Wrapup

    Little Red Lighthouse

    Bike ride with Lauren to the Cloisters and back, with a stop at the Little Red Lighthouse.

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    Scott & Deb's wedding (congratulations!) with scenic views from Steiner Studios.

  • The Long Walk

    shot_1284924396790

    Yesterday I walked from my apartment down to the Lower East Side, wandered around there and Chinatown for a bit, then walked over the Brooklyn Bridge to Carroll Gardens.  From Canal St to my final destination was approximately 3.5 miles, and I'd imagine that I walked at the very least two more beyond that.  Moral of the story: walk more.

  • My Backyard* at Night

    Fountain
    (*a.k.a. Washington Square Park)

  • You are What You Wear?

    Last night, I went to the one year anniversary party for the Summit Bar after lobster rolls at Ed's Lobster Bar with the Lovely Miss Katie (I love their little chocolate lobsters that they give out with the check!).  I had, as I often do, come straight from work, but on this particular day, I was dressed in a particularly lawyer-y outfit, beyond my regular "business casual": full on skirt suit, peep-toe heels, a chunky red necklace and my red glasses.  I got soooo many compliments and comments from the cocktail crowd, who usually doesn't see me in what I refer to as "my lawyer costume."  I'm starting to think that I should buy more suits and funky shoes/acessories to keep the compliments coming.  Either that or wear my glasses more often . . .

  • Flora and Fauna

    Star
    Orange
    Bunny

    Last weekend I took a trip with Mom & Stephen to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden (after a lovely brunch at James).  It was a gorgeous day, and quite relaxing to wander through what feels, at times, like wilderness, despite being right in the heart of Brooklyn.  It was the first time I ever saw a rabbit in New York City that wasn't on a plate in some form . . .

    This weekend was filled with a quiet night on Friday, a run Saturday, which was a perfect way to reflect on the anniversary of 9/11, errands, and a bi-borough night out with friends galore and stops at Death & Company, Dram, and Fatty Cue.

    Today started with challah, french toast followed by an afternoon trip to visit law school friends for a back to school party.  It's always so nice to see their kids, but walking into a small apartment filled with well over a dozen kids was quite overwhelming, to put it mildly (there may have been palpitations involved).  It got much more enjoyable as the crowd thinned out and I could chat with their girls (and them) in a calmer atmosphere.  The rainy evening has made me tired, so I'm headed to bed early tonight, hoping to get a jump start on the week.

  • Did I Ever Mention

    that I can be a little impatient?  Oh yes, I did. I'll let you hear it straight from the source in the meantime.

  • Deep Thoughts from the Weekend

    - It's refreshing to see parts of your friends' personalities that are new to you that amaze you — in a good way.

    – Having a dinner party that lasts until the wee hours makes you truly appreciate how terribly lucky you are to have such good company in your life.

    – A friendship with someone who you've known for well over 20 years is a special thing, and should be treasured.

    – Sometimes, when your expectations are lower than low, you can be surprised, and end up smiling.

  • What’s Your Lifestyle?

    Over the past few days, I've had more than one conversation with people I know about what they imagine their future life to look like, either with or without a significant other.  I think about this quite a bit — I see a bright, open apartment with a yard or roof deck, space to entertain comfortably, a kitchen that allows me to cook with others.  I imagine a very social lifestyle, somewhat like what I have now — having people over, going to outdoor concerts, visiting museums, going to restaurants — even when there are kids (hopefully) involved.  I don't see myself living in the suburbs or keeping to myself.  Maybe this is unrealistic with a family, but I don't think so, and it is what I strive to create in my life.

    It becomes problematic when there are two people in the mix — if they don't share the same view of their ideal lifestyle, there will always be friction.  It's certainly easier on one's own.  But, what I'm realizing is that, family or not, I have the power and the ability to make my life what I want it to be — so stay tuned, folks, there may be some changes in the works.  They won't take place right away, but slowly and steadily, I will add on the the life that I have to create the life I want to have in the future.